Bongeunsa ~ A Temple Lost in a Modern City

Hello mga teh! To continue with the adventures of Teh in Korya, let's visit Bongeunsa temple, a Buddhist temple in Gangnam District...

Dahil medyo napagod si Sensei sa dami ng lakad here, there and everywhere, mag-isa ang Teh na gumora rito. In short, ako lang ang napagod this time around. About 0.75 kilometer walk ito from the nearest station (Samseong Station, Seoul Subway Line 2, Exit 6). So round trip walk is 1.5km. Hashtag: #pagodacoldwavelotion.

As you enter, you will see statues of what they regard as the "guardians" of the temple's gate. Buddhists passing by these statues bow to them as a sign of respect. Kaya naman as a sign of respect to their religion, nag-bow din ako. Para na rin hindi masyadong O.P. si Teh. Hehe...

After entering the temple gate, on the right you will see some tablets on which the names of the past abbots or head monks are engraved. Medyo cemetery feels.

Dito, ang pagbili ng mga io-offer nila kay Buddha ay by honesty policy system. Kuha sila ng bigas tapos ihuhulog na lang sa drop box ang bayad. For example, 'yung bag of rice na binibili ni ateng Koryana na nasa picture... :)

May isang portion dito na hindi ko mapigilang mapatigil at tumitig sa itaas dahil sa mga red lanterns. Nasa harapan ito ng isang malaking prayer hall.

Sa palagay ni Teh, isa ito sa main prayer hall ng mga bumibisita rito. Pero hindi katulad ng ibang temples na napuntahan ko, hindi masyadong crowded ang main hall na ito.

Nung napadaan naman ako sa hall na ito, sa right side ng main prayer hall, nakasaksi ako ng patapos nang memorial service. 

Dahil medyo creepy ang feeling ni Teh (naaalala ko kasi mga asian horror movies), inantay ko munang matapos ang memorial service bago ako um-enter sa hall na ito.

Afterwards, I went to the upper portion of the temple to explore further.

Disclaimer lang mga teh. Sa na-oberve ko, I think depende sa prayer petition ng Buddhist kung saang hall sila magdadasal at magbibigay ng offering. That's how Teh understood it. ;)

On the northwest part of the temple, Teh saw a huge, outdoor Buddha statue.

And on the leftmost portion of the temple, you will find a staircase leading to what Teh remembers as the monk's residence. Well, off-limits po doon mga teh, unless, of course, you're a monk. :D

Upon checking the surroundings of the temple, you will notice lots of high-rise buildings. So ngayon gets niyo na siguro kung bakit ang title nito ay "~lost in the city". Looks beautiful but solitarily sad somehow.

After exploring this temple, you can drop by the temple store where you can buy charms and other Buddhist-related items. Located just outside the temple's main gate. :)

This ends our short visit to Bongeunsa Temple. Thank you very much for visiting my travel journal. Till the next adventure! ^_^

Special thanks to the following who made the adventures of Teh in Seoul successful:

• Promo fare by Cebu Pacific Air.
• Choi's House Seoul for making Teh and Sensei feel at home and for the guidance in revising our original itinerary.
• Darlene-sensei for the photos and company.
• Korean Tourism Website for refreshing Teh's memories (official page link here).